


It's Always You {KotoUmi}

by celestialtaehyung



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Depressing, Depression, F/F, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Love, Love Confessions, Romance, Sad, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 16:52:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10644063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialtaehyung/pseuds/celestialtaehyung
Summary: Umi Sonoda cannot help falling for Kotori Minami. No matter where it is, no matter what timeline, she will always love Kotori. It was always her.





	1. 1st Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi Sonoda would first meet Kotori Minami in the late 1800's, where she worked long hours in a dangerous factory, while Kotori lived a comfortable upper class life.

**1800’s**

The first time I ever met Kotori, I’d been stumbling home from a long day of work. The sun was beaming down upon me, sending waves of heat towards my struggling body in huge groups. There was sweat rolling down my arms and I found it hard to walk. Breathing heavily, I stopped to sit outside a large house.

I leaned back against the stone wall behind me, closing my eyes and turning my head upwards to face the sky. It seemed that pinning my unruly, blue hair up had done nothing to prevent the heat from affecting me. It was then, as I sat with my chest rising and falling heavily, that she first approached me. I heard the sound of hooves to my left, causing me to open one eye out of curiosity.

A dark carriage came to a halt in front of the gate. I wanted to look away, I even wondered if I should leave, but I was entranced by the carriage. After all, I’d never been able to afford such a luxury before, and it was rare for me to see something so beautiful up close.

A petite girl stepped out of the carriage, her pale hand clutching her skirts. She climbed down gracefully, thanking someone behind her, before the carriage left. Her skirts were a mint green in colour, almost engulfing her small body. Pale, white skin protruded from amongst the green, alongside a full head of hair that appeared to be an ash blonde.

“Can I help you?” A soft voice spoke through the silence. My eyes instantly met golden ones, eyes that sparkled in the intense sunlight. “You look exhausted.”

I shook my head, “I’m fine, thank you.”

The girl released her skirts, allowing them to once again dance along the ground. She walked towards me, her small hand outstretched. “Why don’t you come inside? It seems you need a break from this heat.”

“Thank you,-“

“Kotori.” The blonde-haired female smiled at me. “Call me Kotori.”

We grew closer as the time passed, spending more and more time together. I learned more about Kotori, about how she came from a wealthy background. I learned that the house I had sat outside of was the house she’d inherited from her parents. I even learned that Kotori was betrothed to a similarly wealthy man, from a household she didn’t yet know.

I was eventually invited to be her maid. Kotori insisted that it was because she wanted me to earn more money, and thus live a better, healthier lifestyle. Deep down, I hoped that it was because she wanted to spend more time with me. I hoped that Kotori cared for me the same way I cared for her, though a smaller part of me knew it was impossible.

I soon grew to love Kotori and everything about her. I loved how her voice was always so quiet and melodic, even when she argued with someone. There was so much passion within her, passion that she loved to share with anyone and everyone. Everything about her was enticing and beautiful.

As much as I wanted to confess to her, I knew that I couldn’t. Not only was she already engaged to a man that I would eventually work for, but it was wrong. My feelings for her were wrong. It wasn’t right for a girl to love another girl. If she knew how I truly felt, she would only turn me away, she would tell me that I was disgusting.

But there came a day, when I had accompanied her on a trip to a nearby lake, that I found myself unable to withhold my feelings anymore. As she had crouched down beside the clear water, her hand drifting along the cool liquid, I had forced myself to say something.

“Kotori,” I addressed the female. She turned to face me, her eyes wide. A gentle wind lifted her hair as she stood up, straightening her back, causing a small smile to stretch across my face. “T-There’s something I want to say.”

“What is it, Umi?” There was the ghost of worry and concern within those beautiful eyes of hers. I took a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to take her hand in mine. I wanted nothing more than to hug her tightly, to hold her body against my own.

But I refrained.

“I-I love you, Kotori.” I blurted aloud, inhaling deeply as I shied away from her gaze. There was the sound of uncomfortable silence as she registered the information I had presented to her, and I felt my heart slowly crushing inside of me. “I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I do.”

“Oh, Umi…” Her soft, melodic voice whispering my name was enough to bring tears to my eyes. I knew what she was going to say next, and I didn’t want to hear it. Before I had even said anything, my mind had been telling me that it was a bad idea.

I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have kept my feelings hidden. Now that Kotori knew how I truly felt, she would only shy away from me. I would lose my job as her maid, and we would go back to being strangers, just as we had once been.

“It’s okay, Umi.” She suddenly grasped my hand in her own. My eyes shot open, widening as they met her golden ones. She, too, had tears in her eyes. Her small mouth was pulled into a sad smile. “I feel the same way. I love you, too. But we can’t be together.”

“I know,” I breathed.

“If possible, I’d like for you to stay by my side. We might not be able to be together in that way, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” Kotori continued to be optimistic about the situation, her voice sounding somewhat regretful. I nodded gently, unable to speak, unable to even breathe after being faced with a reality more painful than what I had previously imagined.

It would have been bad enough having to be besides her, knowing that I loved her and she didn’t feel the same way. But knowing that she loved me in return, and knowing that we couldn’t act upon our feelings, was enough to enclose my heart in despair more painful than I had ever imagined.

Even so, I did as she asked. I remained by her side, always serving her and supporting her. There were times when we would steal glances, short looks that were filled with secret feelings, but nobody ever noticed.

I remained by her when she got married. She wore a beautiful, white dress that made her look even more like an angel. It took my breath away, to the point that I forgot how to breathe as she walked down the aisle. Tears threatened to run down my cheeks as I watched her say vows to someone that she didn’t love, to someone other than me.

Her new husband moved into her inherited home, settling in as if he had been there the whole time. It became harder to talk to Kotori, as she was always occupied with business, or attending to her husband. It became harder to share secret looks with her, as her eyes were always looking at her husband, convincing him that she adored him, and nobody else.

Even so, there was never a moment where she wouldn’t smile.

Then, one day, I was called into her main office. It was the place she spent most of her day, working and talking with her husband about work. I walked into the large room to find her sat at a desk. She stared down at the polished wood with wide eyes, her mouth hung open.

Instinctively, I made my way over to her. I wanted nothing more than to take her hand in my own; I hoped to offer her some kind of reassurance. Kotori looked up at me with wide eyes as I approached.

“I’m pregnant.” She whispered.

I was overjoyed for her. As much as it hurt me to know that there was no place for me in her heart, I was happy for her. I congratulated her with a false smile, refrained from pulling her into a hug, and promised that I would do whatever I could to help.

She and her husband spent the next few months planning for the new baby, and preparing for Kotori to go into labour. I was busying myself with work in the kitchen when it happened, but I immediately rushed to aid Kotori when I first heard her shrieks. I stayed right beside her as she gave birth to her beautiful baby.

The contractions were especially painful for her. As she laid there, sweat rolling down her forehead, she finally reached for my hand. Her smaller fingers gripped mine, tightening occasionally as she was hit with another contraction. It was the first and last time she would ever properly hold my hand.

As she breathed heavily, the midwife passed the screaming bundle to me. My face had stretched into a grin, my eyes lighting up at the sight of Kotori’s stunning child. It was a baby girl. A baby girl that, even from such an early age, looked just like her mother.

“She’s beautiful,” I breathed, staring down at the reddened bundle with wide eyes. Kotori’s daughter grasped one of my fingers, squeezing tightly as I fought to keep my tears at bay. “Kotori, look,-,” I turned to look at the blonde-female, prepared to hand her the child.

But she was no longer there. Her pale hand hung limply to one side. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted ever so slightly. Even so, she wasn’t breathing. Kotori, the person I had dearly loved for so long, had died giving birth to her husband’s child. He hadn’t even been there throughout her labour.

Every day, it hurt me to see her child growing up without her. It hurt me knowing what had happened. But I kept moving forward. I knew that Kotori wanted me by her side, as her maid, for as long as possible. So I continued to work within her household, always watching over her child.

I loved her daughter as much as I could. I stayed beside her as she grew up, always asking questions about her mother, always desiring to know more. There were times when she would ask me what her mother had been like, and I would reply as honestly as possible, trying my hardest to keep my tears at bay.

Even as I grew older, even as it became harder for me to work, I stayed beside Kotori’s daughter. I remained beside her until the very end, until the time finally came for me to join Kotori. And I knew that, somehow, we would find each other again.


	2. 2nd Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi Sonoda would next meet Kotori Minami in the late 1900's, just after the invention of newer technology, such as cars and gramophones.

**1900’s**

The next time I had met Kotori was at a rather awkward school dance. Someone had managed to get their hands on a gramophone and had decided to play some music at a rather large gathering. I had been reluctant to go at first, but a friend of mine had thrown a deep blue dress at me and dragged me along.

So I stood to the sides, avoiding eye contact and refusing to dance along to the tinny music. My friend had eventually given up on trying to make me join in, instead heading off to flirt with some guys that were around our age.

As I folded my arms across my chest, shifting around uncomfortably in the short dress, another female had approached me. She wore a white dress that was equally as short as mine, though it seemed to suit her very well. Her ash blonde hair was worn in a peculiar way and her eyes sparkled as she approached me.

“I’m guessing this kind of thing isn’t your scene.” She smiled at me, her voice sounding surprisingly familiar to me. Even her features were strangely familiar, though I didn’t have a clue where I would have known her from. “To be completely honest, I’m not really into it, either.”

“I only came because my friend dragged me here against my will. If I’d had a say in the matter, I would have stayed home. I have homework to do.” I muttered, dropping my eyes to the floor. Behind the kind female, people danced together, shrieking and laughing loudly. The female giggled at my blunt statement. “I’m Umi, by the way.”

“My name’s Kotori. It’s nice to meet you!” She grinned at me, her eyes glinting in the darkness. My heart seemed to stop momentarily, my mind completely taken aback by the beauty that I was witnessing. “If you want, we can go elsewhere. It’s actually rather difficult to talk in here…”

I agreed feebly, managing nothing more than a simple nod. Kotori clapped her hands together, before gesturing for me to follow her out of the crowd. I did as she asked, stumbling along behind her silently. We stumbled out into the fresh air, finding that the sun was beginning to set.

We had walked along beside each other, talking about everything and nothing. As we spoke, I realised that Kotori attended the same school as me, though we were in different classes. We agreed to meet up more often during breaks, as Kotori insisted that she liked me. I found myself unable to refuse any of her requests; in my daze, I gave her the number of my house phone and agreed to study with her on Sundays.

After we parted ways, I arrived home to find the phone ringing. My mother, with a confused look on her face, said that someone was calling to talk to me. I hesitantly took the phone from her, wondering who would be calling at such a late time, only to find Kotori’s chirpy voice on the other end.

We had spoken for a while, before my mother had ushered me off of the phone. With sadness laced into my voice, I bid Kotori goodnight and returned the phone to its place on the wall. I fell asleep that night with a goofy grin on my face, anticipating the coming week.

Kotori and I grew inevitably closer. We spent most of our time together at school, laughing and messing around in the classes that we shared. On Sundays, we would rotate between meeting at her house and meeting at my house. Sometimes we would study, as planned, and other times we would laze around, just talking to one another.

As expected, I began to fall for the female with eyes that seemed to always be sparkling. My feelings for her were practically inevitable, though I wasn’t the only one that had fallen for the beautiful girl. She was always being talked to by males from our school, and people would try to pick her up when we went out together.

It frustrated me that I couldn’t just take her hand in mine and tell them that she belonged to me. I wanted nothing more than to confess to Kotori how I truly felt, but there was nothing stranger than a girl being in love with a girl. Even when I asked my mother about such a thing, she told me that it was wrong – she said that if I ever felt that way, then I was unwelcome in their home.

So I continued to suppress my feelings, being around Kotori as nothing more than her friend. Even when she cried at our graduation, I did my best to stay away from her. We were best friends, and I would be satisfied with just that.

The two of us moved on from school; Kotori got a job just before I did, and it made it rather difficult to see her. Eventually, she found herself falling for a guy that she had met through work. On days that we both had off, I would sometimes call up and see if she wanted to meet. Sometimes my request was accepted, and other times I was rejected because Kotori wished to spend time with the guy that she had fallen for.

It became increasingly difficult to watch her grow apart from me. On days that we did spend time together, Kotori would ramble on and on about her last date, or a call she had received the night before. I would sit and listen, smiling and nodding as she spoke; I loved Kotori enough to deal with the pain that I felt inside.

As the time passed, I began to feel as though I had been in such a devastating situation sometime before. It was as if I had loved Kotori in another lifetime, and I had also watched her leave me behind. It was a strange feeling that I couldn’t quite explain.

“Umi,” Her voice brought me from my sad daze. I met her wide eyes. “You’ve been distracted lately. Is everything okay?”

I replied bluntly, “I’m fine.”

Kotori’s brows furrowed at my statement; it was as if she knew that I was lying. The two of us had never usually kept secrets from each other, and so I felt as if I was betraying her by hiding my true feelings.

“But you’re not, are you?” Kotori pressed further, grasping my arm as I continued to walk. She halted where she was, refusing to let me walk any further. I slowly turned to face her, wanting to avoid her prying eyes as much as possible. “Please, Umi, tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s nothing, Kotori!” My voice came out sharper than I had anticipated, and I instinctively winced. Kotori seemed somewhat taken aback by my prickly tone; I felt her hand shaking on my arm. “It’s nothing…”

“Tell me what’s wrong.” Kotori repeated, her voice lowering in tone as I realised that she was deadly serious about uncovering my secret. My sheepish eyes hesitantly raised to find hers, and I felt my heart melting all over again. “I’m worried, Umi.”

I was completely captivated by her eyes. I didn’t even realise when my hand raised to rest upon her cheek, my thumb drawing gentle patterns upon her skin. My body seemed to be moving of its own accord; my mind was telling me to stop, and yet I couldn’t.

“You’re really beautiful…”

“Umi?”

It was only when my lips were mere inches from hers that I was jolted back to reality. Kotori stared back at me with wide eyes, her lips parted as she awaited an explanation. I felt my face heating up, a harsh blush painting my cheeks as I immediately drew away from her. My hands shook as I clasped them over my chest, trying to control the pounding of my heart.

“I-I’m so sorry!” I cried, before I span on my heel. I ran. I ran as fast as I could away from the blonde-haired female that I had loved for so, so long. It was so stupid of me to make a move on her; of course she didn’t feel the same!

As I ran, tears began to stream down my cheeks. The corners of my lips pulled down in a frown and I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry out that it wasn’t fair, that I wanted to be happy with the person I loved. I wanted Kotori more than anything.

My vision was blurred beyond recognition. I couldn’t even make out where I was going. I just ran along as fast as I could, trying to get as far away from my best friend as possible. After the stunt I’d pulled, Kotori would never talk to me again; she would think there was something wrong with me.

Without thinking, I turned to the right, a hoarse scream escaping my parted lips. I heard Kotori scream for somewhere behind me and I felt my entire body freeze. Through the blur of colours, I could make out two headlights heading straight for me.

“I love you, Kotori!” I screamed, before the vehicle made contact with my body. Everything suddenly hurt – it was painful, it was so, so painful. Even if she hadn’t quite heard me, I had at least made my true feelings known. I hadn’t hidden them forever.

My head slammed against the ground and my vision went black. I felt nothing.


	3. 3rd Time Lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi Sonoda would finally meet Kotori Minami in the present day, when things are slightly different, and their chances of being together are greatly increased.

**2000’s**

With a drawn out sigh, I pulled out my phone, checking the screen to see just how much longer I would have to sit in such a boring class. The clock told me that I had just a few minutes left, which caused a wave of relief to crash upon my body. Taking Psychology had seemed like a good idea at the start of the year, but I was beginning to regret it.

I drummed my fingers against my desk as the minutes slowly inched by, my gaze turning to stare out of an open window. The sun hung high in the sky, illuminating everything in sight with its bright glow. The sky was a beautiful blue, complemented by pure white clouds. It was the first time that year I’d seen such a peaceful day.

When the bell finally rang out around the school, I listened as a chorus of whoops resonated around the vast classroom. The teacher mumbled something about homework, before giving up; students were filing out of the door without even a second thought. I lingered about for a short while, wanting to avoid the horde of bodies pushing themselves through the small door.

Sighing gently, I searched around in my bag for something to eat; I had forgotten to have something that morning and I was starving. Just as I pulled out a small wrapper, I heard quiet footsteps entering the classroom. Curious, I lifted my eyes.

A small female with ash-blonde hair had crept into the room, several books held in her arms. She approached the teacher, saying something in a hushed whisper, before her golden eyes turned to search the room. The female found what she was looking for and began to make her way to the back of the room, when she suddenly tripped.

A shrill shriek passed her lips. I instinctively moved to help her, grasping her arm before she could fall to the floor. The books cluttered to the ground, making a rather loud noise. The female began to mumble about her clumsiness, dropping to her knees to gather the hardback books.

I, too, dropped down to help her. “Here.” I gathered two of her books, before holding them out for her. The panicked female raised her eyes, thanking me several times as she scurried towards the back of the room.

I fought to suppress a laugh, finding that her shy nature was rather cute. Just as she was about to rush past me and out of the door, I took hold of her arm once more. She yelped, as if taken aback by my sudden contact.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. My name’s Umi, it’s nice to meet you.” I spoke confidently to the girl, wanting to come off as friendly. She stared back at me with wide eyes, as if she were shocked that I was introducing myself.

“I-I’m Kotori. It’s nice to meet you, too.” The blonde-haired female stammered. With her hands clutched to her chest, she took a step away from me. I cocked my head to one side, confused by her wariness. “I-I’m really sorry, but I’m in a h-hurry!”

With that, she ran off. There was something strangely familiar about her, but I kept my thoughts to myself as I gathered my things and exited the classroom. I met with my friends a little later than usual, though they didn’t seem to mind at all. They had saved me a seat at the table and seemed engrossed in making plans for later.

Without me even getting a word in edgeways, it was decided that we would go to a café together after school. I wasn’t against going, as such, but I had wanted to head home and work on a project that was due the next week; I hadn’t actually managed to start on it at all.

And so, I ended up stumbling along behind my small group of friends into a local café. They immediately found a seat in the furthest corner, falling into idle chatter as they demanded that I order for everyone. I sighed, but did as asked.

Chanting the drinks in my head, I approached the counter. I stared down at my hands for a moment, repeating the orders another time. When I raised my head to speak aloud, I found my eyes widening. The shy female from earlier stood before me, equipped with a cute maid outfit and a fluffy, pink pen in one hand.

Her voice was incredibly different when she addressed me. “What can I get you?” She spoke with newfound confidence, the corners of her mouth stretched into a grin. It was only when she properly looked at me that her confidence seemed to fall away slowly.

“Kotori, right?” I said with a small smile, surprised to find her working at such a local café. I hadn’t expected to see her again, but I wasn’t complaining. An older man coughed from behind me, subtly telling me to get on with ordering.

I did so, repeating the order that had nearly lost itself within my whirling thoughts. Kotori jotted down every word I said, crossing out a few words when I changed my mind about my order. Each of her movements was carried out with so much precision and effortless perfection that I was entranced.

I wanted to know her, though a small part of me felt as if I already did.

“When does your shift end?” I asked the shy female, watching as a deep blush crept into her pale cheeks. She bustled about behind the counter, seemingly ignoring my question. I internally cursed myself for being so upfront; I’d clearly scared her off with my bluntness.

But, just as she handed the tray over to me, she subtly dropped a small piece of paper beside one of the cups. I glanced up at her once more, trying to find an answer in her eyes, but she merely looked away from me, addressing the next customer with the same confidence as before.

I took the note from the tray before placing it on the table, sliding into my seat as everyone took a cup. While everyone was distracted, I opened the note in my lap, reading the neat words with a small smile on my face. There was a phone number, followed by a short note:

**_My shift ends at 6:00pm. Let’s talk then._ **

Eventually, everyone decided to head back home. Nozomi and Eli stated that they would head home together, insisting that they were going to work on homework. I exchanged suspicious glances with the rest of the group, fully aware of the undeniable chemistry between the two. Rin left with Hanayo, and Nico left with Maki.

Honoka said a brief goodbye to me, before heading off on her own. She said that she was going to meet with someone – someone by the name of Tsubasa, I believed – on her way there. With a gentle smile on my face, I waved goodbye and decided to wait outside of the café for Kotori.

I played around on my phone while I waited, exchanging a few text messages with Rin as I stood there. I also took the opportunity to add Kotori’s number to my phone, wondering whether or not I should leave her a message. After a moment of debating, I decided to send a message letting her know who I was, and that I was still waiting.

Six o’clock approached and, as promised, Kotori exited the café a few minutes later. She glanced both left and right, before finding where I stood. She looked at me for a moment, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she slowly approached.

“H-Hello,”

“I’ll walk you home.” I immediately said, gesturing for Kotori to walk beside me. She did as requested, fumbling with the hem of her shirt as we walked together. “You seem really nervous around me. I wonder why that is.”

Kotori seemed panicked for a moment. “I-I’m a pretty shy person.”

“I see. Well, I hope that one day, you won’t feel so shy around me anymore.” My voice was gentle as I addressed her and a small part of me wondered what I was saying. I had never been one to go out of my way to make friends. I wasn’t unpopular as such, but I was used to people approaching me, not the other way around.

Kotori replied bluntly as we walked home, her answers consisting of nothing more than a cute stutter and a blush or two. There was still a strange feeling deep within me, telling me that I had met her before, but I brushed it aside, knowing that it was impossible for me to have known her.

I walked Kotori to her front door, wishing her a safe night before deciding to head home. I found that she lived surprisingly close to me, which made it much easier to give reasons to have a conversation with her. As I turned away from her door, my phone buzzed in my pocket. When I looked at it, I found a text from none other than Kotori herself.

**_Thank you._ **

It was simple. It was blunt. And yet it made my heart stop for a moment. The simple gesture of her thanking me was enough to make me smile. It was something I had never encountered before, and I wasn’t too sure what to make of it. But I responded accordingly, saying that I would walk with her in the morning, if she wasn’t opposed to the idea.

Every day I would try my hardest to talk with Kotori. We would walk to and from school with each other, though her answers remained rather short. It was usually me doing the talking, keeping the conversation going, though I didn’t mind. It was quite refreshing to do most of the talking for once.

As the time passed, Kotori seemed to open up more. She would answer my questions with several sentences, and she would occasionally ask questions. I came to realise that her voice was so melodic, so beautiful. I wanted her to talk more, just so I could hear her voice.

There came a day, when I was walking Kotori home, that she invited me inside. I froze outside for a moment, wondering whether she was joking. When she stepped aside to allow me inside, I nodded feebly and shuffled inside.

“Mum, I have a friend here!” Kotori gently called down the hallway, alerting another female, who sounded as if she were in the kitchen. A blonde-haired woman, with the same features as Kotori, emerged from a room to the left. She looked at me with wide eyes.

“You should have told me earlier; I could have made cakes!” The woman seemed flustered for a moment, but she met my eyes with a big smile. It was as if she wasn’t used to Kotori bringing company, which made a small frown tug at my lips. “It’s very nice to meet a friend of Kotori’s. Please, stay as long as you’d like.”

I responded with a clipped nod, before following Kotori upstairs. She led me to her bedroom and a small part of me was hesitant to go inside. It was cuter than I had expected, with pastel pink wallpaper. She seemed to have a pastel pink theme for everything; her carpet was pink, along with her bedsheets. Kotori had a collection of plushies along her windowsill.

“Your room is really cute.” I commented before I could even think about what I was saying. Kotori smiled at me, instead of growing flustered, as I was so used to. She sat herself on her bed, patting the space beside her. “Thank you for inviting me in.”

“This might sound strange, but you seem really familiar to me.” Kotori randomly said aloud, almost as if she were speaking her thoughts to me. I turned to look at her, my brows furrowed; it was strange that she thought the same as I did. “I feel like I’ve known you before.”

“I thought the same.”

Kotori seemed taken aback. “R-Really?”

“Yeah,” I said again, this time sounding more confident. “I feel as though we were close in a past life, or something. Maybe we were lovers!” I joked, falling into a laugh as I rested my hands upon her soft bedsheets. Kotori fell strangely silent. “But that’s impossible; past lives aren’t a thing.”

“Y-Yeah,” Kotori laughed nervously, suddenly seeming tense beside me. It was as if I’d said something to offend her, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on what. She stared down at her hands sadly, which rested in her lap. “Are you hungry? I-I’ll get snacks!”

I stood to help her, but Kotori was already trying to dash out of the room. She tripped over my feet, a startled yelp passing her lips as she tumbled towards the floor. I tried grabbing her hand again, as I had done when we first met, but I wasn’t able to pull her upwards. Instead, she pulled me down within her.

Wincing from the sudden harsh contact, I opened my eyes to find that I was lying on top of Kotori, her reddening face mere inches from my own. Her eyes were wide and scared, as if she were a small animal that had been cornered. But in that close proximity, I could make out every beautiful detail of her face.

It didn’t even register in my mind that I should have gotten off of her. All I wanted was to touch her face, to run my fingers through her hair. I wanted to kiss those soft lips of hers, the same lips that were always stammering such beautiful sounds.

My hand rested upon her cheek and I watched as her blush deepened. Her entire body seemed to freeze beneath me for a moment, but I could feel her heart pounding harshly against her chest. It brought a smile to my face as I leaned towards her, brushing my lips across her nose ever so gently.

As I placed another kiss upon her other cheek, I felt her hand upon my own. She laced her fingers through my own, holding my palm to her face. Her golden eyes fluttered shut and she nuzzled into the warmth that my hand was providing.

With her eyes still shut, she murmured, “Kiss me, Umi.”

It was my turn to be surprised. I had never expected Kotori, who was always so innocent and shy, to request such an intense thing from me. Yet I had no problem with doing exactly as she asked of me. Slowly, hesitantly, I brought my lips towards her own.

Kotori closed the distance between the two of us, her lips moving gently against my own. She kissed me with a passion that suggested she had done this before, though I knew it was impossible; she had told me so herself.  I kissed her back with all the feelings that she was delivering to me. I realised, in that moment, that I had wanted to kiss her for such a long time.

“I love you,” Kotori mumbled against my lips, again surprising me. I wanted to pull away, to look at her face once more, but her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me towards her once more.

We kissed for what felt like forever, our mouths moving entirely in sync. When I moved to deepen the kiss, Kotori didn’t even hesitate. She welcomed me without even a second thought, and it felt incredibly, undeniably _right_.

After that day, Kotori and I were unable to ignore our feelings for each other. Our relationship remained our secret for a while, until Nozomi spotted the two of us on a date. She, of course, told everyone else and they didn’t hesitate to congratulate us, insisting that they had called it from the very beginning.

When we told Kotori’s mother, she was surprised. She said she’d always known that Kotori preferred girls, but she wasn’t expecting Kotori to bring someone home so soon. It didn’t take long for me to be welcomed into their small family.

Even my own parents were very accepting; my mother decided that Kotori could come over whenever she wished, and my father said that Kotori was a charming girl. Though, I didn’t need him to tell me that; I’d known from the very beginning.

Time passed, through which Kotori and I remained strong as ever. We fought occasionally, but it was nothing major and was usually resolved by the next day. We remained together as our other friends went off on their own. Nozomi and Eli ended up marrying each other – though I knew that was going to happen – and they moved away to Australia to start a business together.

Rin and Hanayo ended up together, as did Nico and Maki, though Maki was hesitant when it came to the wedding; she wanted everything to be perfect and broke down many times during the planning. Honoka followed after them.

That only left Kotori and I. So I decided to propose to her. I took her out one night, returning to the local café in which Kotori used to work. The staff recognized us when we showed up, and I pulled one of the waiters aside, asking if I could hide a ring in Kotori’s favourite cake.

Of course, they were all very supportive of the idea. I sat and ate with Kotori, glancing up occasionally to see that she didn’t choke, or swallow the ring. When she muttered aloud, I looked up at her. She was grumbling about there being something in her cake, half-heartedly picking at the sponge until I watched her face cloud over with awe.

“U-Umi?” Her eyes looked to mine for answers.

I inhaled deeply, reaching across to take the ring from her cake. I brushed off stray crumbs, before shuffling out of my seat. Dropping down to one knee, I watched as Kotori’s eyes began to fill with tears, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.

“Kotori, I wasn’t too sure how to do this, and I’m really glad you didn’t choke,” I started, suppressing a nervous giggle. The staff had crowded around us, making their support known, while others whipped out their phones. “But I love you. I don’t ever want to lose you. Will you marry me?”

With tears running down her face, Kotori accepted my proposal. She pulled me into a long hug, crying softly into my hair. There was a strange feeling within me; I felt as if I had been waiting for that moment for so, so long, and I had finally managed to make Kotori mine. It felt as if I had tried so many times before, only to fail each time.

But that time, I managed to act upon my feelings. And as I watched Kotori walk down the aisle, her dress sparkling almost as much as her, I knew how I felt. I knew how I had _always_ felt. I loved Kotori. It would always be her. No matter how much time passed, no matter where we were.

I would always love Kotori.


End file.
